


La Tempestad

by Ark666



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Bad Parenting, Coping, Explosions, F/F, F/M, Father-Son Relationship, M/M, Major Character Injury, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Other Ships Not Mentioned in Tags, Permanent Injury, Slow Burn, Suicidal Thoughts, Tags May Change
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-20
Updated: 2020-11-01
Packaged: 2021-03-07 23:15:48
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 8
Words: 19,932
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26555716
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ark666/pseuds/Ark666
Summary: When it rains it storms. Caught in the Rome explosion Jesse's timeline turns out differently and he's left severely injured. Back home when he thinks he's done with everything he realizes that the threat could be closer to him than initially thought. With the new threat how will he fight through it for justice?"'At that moment the good doctor Angela waltzed in and promptly smacked Gabriel over the head with her clipboard. “I thought I told you that you needed sleep Gabriel," she scolded.'"
Relationships: Jesse McCree & Reaper | Gabriel Reyes
Kudos: 6





	1. La Escarcha

**Author's Note:**

> As said in the summary for the work please let me know if I did something majorly medically wrong, unless it's otherwise stated by a character or narration as the latest medical breakthrough because the game does take place in like 50 60 years.

“Opps,” Jesse was reaching into his pocket and didn’t have his wallet. “Forgot my wallet. I’ll meet you at the cafe Gabe.”

“Again?” Gabriel raised a brow. He’d been saying that for years. “I’ll get you the mocciado. See you in a few.” His boss waved as he headed back inside the Rome Blackwatch headquarters. 

Jesse sighed, he really needed to remember his damn shit. Even Ashe had complained about his forgetfulness. Hard to believe that was nearly a decade ago. Brushing shoulders with a cleaning lady he thought about saying something, but she must be having too bad of a day to be careful. 

A few steps towards the elevator and he widened his eyes at the start of the explosion. He was sure that he was going to die as his heart thudded in his chest. It came over him and he went unconscious. 

Hearing the explosion behind him Gabriel turned around and ran to the sound. Figuring nothing involving a sound like that was good him and his teams would probably be called to assist in the next few moments anyways. His agents did have the blue uniforms sometimes in use. Upon turning around the corner he fell to his knees in shock. 

It was gone. 

It was all gone. 

Everything he’d built. 

Every single damn thing. 

Gone

It was all gone. 

It was gone… 

Collecting himself he got up by sheer willpower and ran over to help try to find any survivors. The information Gerald had gotten had to have angered Talon deeply. With a fleeting thought Gabriel pulled out his cell phone and hoped that Jesse’s wasn’t broken. 

Waiting those few seconds for the phones to come together was torture, but then he heard the sounds of the phone faintly. The goddamn cowboy kept his phone on full sound with the Few Dollars More theme. Carefully he made his way over and gasped. 

His body was contorted oddly. He’d had to have landed on the large steel support hard for his back to look like that. The left arm was blown off, but cauterized from the explosion. His eyes were slightly open. It was terrifying to see with how he was bent backwards over the poll. 

“Don’t move at all Jess! I’ll bring the medics! They’re on their way now!” He turned to go. 

“Don’t leave me here!!!” Jesse weakly croaked. 

“Jess…” Gabriel trailed off. 

“Please.” He begged. “Don’t let me die alone.”

Unable to refuse he sat down and gently placed a hand over his face, and the waited. 

Then they waited. 

And they waited some more until triage came over with a frown. Without saying anything to either of them the firefighter clipped a black tag to his shirt. Before he could even turn around they had an angry Gabriel Reyes shrieking. After they left he pulled out his cell. 

Angela didn’t pick up because she probably helping. Moria picked up on the second ring. She was close by, but since she isn’t popular among the Overwatch and most of the Blackwatch medics so she stayed behind. Gabriel swore she purred when he said that Jesse was nearly bent in half and given a back card. 

In triage black cards are given to the dead, the soon to be dead, and in the large large scale disaster those who probably won’t make it so it’s not worth the resources when others can be saved. 

In ten minutes the infamous bioengineer was there. With her kit and lots of yelling at Gabriel they were eventually able to get him on the ground safely. “If that bitch hadn’t stolen our project I think that I could’ve repaired the bone, or revived him from the dead easier than what we just did,” Moria stated. 

“You think?” Gabriel asked her. She immediately nodded.

“It was our technology, that blond bitch stole it saying that it would be improperly used and it shouldn’t be replicated,” Moria seethed while using some of the yellow healing shit on the wound on his forehead before wrapping it up. 

“Let’s just say I understand the feeling, and leave it at that,” Gabriel told her. She understood well enough about what he referenced. He built Overwatch not Jack. Then they reassigned him because he wasn’t Boy Scout enough. 

“My arm is over there,” Jesse pointed. “Now I’m literally in two places at once.”

“I will beat you with your arm cowboy,” Moria rolled her eyes. “You’re very lucky McCree. It may have taken your arm, but it sealed the wound so you didn’t bleed out.”

“I know I’m delirious but can you put it back on?” Jesse slurred as she moved on to cover his arm in bandages. 

“We can get you a nice looking prosthetic. Some more of your arm might have to be amputated,” she looked it over while bandaging it. “It doesn’t look good at the elbow.”

“Just focus on getting better Jesse,” Gabriel told him. 

“That’s what you said about the blood in my cough that turned out to be TB,” Jesse smiled thinking about that. Everyone he came into contact with had to be tested. It was funny being in medbay with a doctor that was having a nervous breakdown because there were going to be so many tests done. 

“Not my fault. You probably became latent as a kid and the smoking, drinking-“ Gabriel quickly said in his defense. 

“And almost dying of the flu,” Jesse added. 

“They all caused it,” Gabriel frowned. He, Ana, Fareeha, Jack, and so many others had to be on antibiotics for a disease that has nearly eradicated in first world countries. 

“I loved reading the documents on that. I’ve reread them several times,” Moria smiled sadistically. 

“It was awful. Everyone thought I just had a cold, then the flu, cuz sometimes smokers cough blood when we’re sick. No it turned out I had deadly disease that was only cured about 100 years ago. It was funny because despite all the things that didn’t say my name I’d been walking around looking like death for awhile. The antibiotics were heaven when I got the IV. I remember just laying there and after a few days I really started to feel it. They wouldn’t let me out of bed for almost a month because I was so contagious and sickly,” they just let him rant on to distract him. “When I was finally let out I had to wear a mask everywhere even for a few months after treatment because they were scared by something lacking in my blood.”

“Is this when you got leukemia?” Moria asked. 

“Correctomundo,” Jesse smiled dumbly. “It’s a good thing that they had me wearing the mask, but I got it extended for a few more months until I could get all my vaccines again. Like how’d they even cure cancer. I can’t wait until it’s a vaccine. I’d get it. I didn’t like the random nosebleeds. They were-“

He shut his eyes almost instantly after Moria stabbed the syringe in his arm. “Sorry, I just need some quiet now that I did what I needed him to be awake for. I’m glad he didn’t notice that he’s paralyzed yet.” She sighed. “You don’t happen to have a neck brace and a backboard on you. I can’t just keep healing the nerve and artery everytime we move him. There isn’t much healing stuff left.”

“I’m not sure we’ll be able to get one. Triage already tagged him,” Gabriel sighed. 

“I can heal the bone wrong, but the damage to the nerve will be permanent. It would take a very confident and skilled surgeon to get a prosthetic one, but if we don’t he could still die easily,” Moria explained the choices. 

“Would he need immediate medical care if we healed it?” Gabriel asked her. 

“He wouldn’t. We could get him to the Gibraltar without problem,” she answered his question. 

“Do it,” Gabriel rubbed his head in frustration. If they only came by later. 

When Jesse woke up in medbay he looked over at his arm immediately. They’d amputated just above the elbow. Guess it was burned that badly. He was fucking tired despite having slept for fuck knows how long. Glancing around the room he saw Gabriel with his face in his hands. 

“Heya Gabe,” he woke up the ill sleeping leader. 

“Glad you’re awake, but I’ve fucked up in more ways than one since you passed out. I need to tell you them all before someone else does,” Gabriel rubbed his sleep deprived eyes. 

“What do you mean Gabe?” Jesse asked trying to turn unsuccessfully. 

“Well for starters you’ve been in a coma for about a month. I did something in that time that got the dark side of Overwatch exposed trying to get even with Talon. Because of that we’re suspended and there’s talk of forcing you to retire since they don’t think Blackwatch can operate anymore ever,” Gabe started to explain. “Angela should be coming in to hit me over the head with her clipboard soon, and she’ll explain things to you in greater detail.”

“Gabe?” He questioned. “What’s wrong with me?”

“You’re paralyzed from the waist down. When we got you here part of your arm had to be amputated, but Angela was able to stabilize to some degree in your back and install something experimental that can allow you to feel still,” Gabriel explained. 

“Oh thank god,” Jesse exasperatedly said. 

“What are you so thankful for?” Gabriel sneared. 

“I can still feel feel my dick then,” Jesse smiled and Gabriel rolled his eyes. He too thought after a moment that he’d care deeply about that. 

At that moment the good doctor Angela waltzed in and promptly smacked Gabriel over the head with her clipboard. “I thought I told you that you needed sleep Gabriel,” she scolded. 

“I’ll get it when I’m dead,” Gabriel nudged the clipboard away from him. 

She scoffed and walked up to Jesse and pulled up a chair. “I overheard a bit, but I want to know how you feel at the moment Jesse. Could you tell me a bit?”

“I’m a bit overwhelmed. It’s only just starting to hit me that I won’t be able to walk again,” he started to tear up. 

“Medicine is changing all of the time Jesse. I’m sure there will be a day someday in the future. I believe in it. The technology I implanted in you gives you the ability to feel me poke your leg,” she poked his thigh with her pen. “See. This wasn’t even feasible for people less than 100 years ago.”

“I guess,” the depression evident in his voice. “Until then I don’t even know what even to do and how to do it.”

“You’ll learn in due time,” Angela gave him a warm smile. “For now you can have some oatmeal and pudding to eat because you have not eaten anything solid in a month.”

“Gabriel,” Jesse groaned. “Please kill me now.”

“Sorry Jesse, doctor's orders,” Gabriel teased. 

“Speaking of doctor’s orders…” Angela turned to him. “You need sleep. Do you want me to tell Ana to stop by?”

Knowing that his friend wouldn’t hesitate to shoot him with a sleep dart he decided to take the chance and stay there in the room for Jesse. He shrugged at the doctor and she frowned and flared at him. With that look he knew as soon as she leaves the room she’s gonna call Ana over. 

Jesse wasn’t sure what to expect, but he wasn’t looking forward to the physical therapy to come. He was certain that they’d push him beyond his physical limits. Fuck! He forgot as well that she’d probably send in a councilor to speak with him. Dreading all the appointments he braced himself mentally, as in putting up more walls and being pissy. 

He threw a tantrum when Angela and Gabriel made him eat. Even Ana couldn’t help with hisunbrided anger. His uncooperativeness ended up in getting his therapy apts moved up. It reminded him of when Jesse first started working.


	2. Iba ver mi madre.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Moving back in with his older brother Andrew and their mom. Andrew's exwife and their kids came to visit for a welcome home, but Jesse feels at odds with his injury, having to rely on others, and his own independence.

They made him retire early after a few months of being awake. Not like the situation had gotten better. Ana...she was gone...and Overwatch was being close to being disbanded. The early retirement that he’d still have his pension so that was something. He knew that something would take him out of the fight, but he hadn't counted on still being alive in all of the anxiety dreams.

His mom and older brother met him at the airport. Jesse hadn’t seen his family in a few years since he was so busy. He’d had a mission last Christmas so he couldn’t come. His mom nearly pulled him out of the wheelchair with how hard she embraced him. Jesse had a traditional wheelchair since he didn’t want to have to deal with the batteries. Also because he wanted to keep his upper body strength. 

“Sorry I couldn’t come home sooner,” Jesse apologized. 

“Don’t worry about that. I’m just glad you’re done with all that disgusting business. We can talk about it later and remember me and your brother had to sign the NDA as well. So we will talk about it. I’m just glad to have to have my son back,” his mom squeezed him tighter. 

“I like the design that you got for your prosthetic. Kinda looks like the tattoo, but not quite,” his brother Andrew told him. “Can I have your luggage tag to go grab it?” His mom let go so he could hand over the ticket. “Cool. By the way Leah also signed it too. You just don’t like her very much.”

“That’s cuz she broke my baby’s heart,” she glared at him. 

“We have a good relationship despite being divorced. We keep it together for the kids. Be back,” Andrew rolled his eyes. No matter how much he tried to say to their mother he couldn’t convince their mother to be nice to his ex wife. 

“Well let’s get you home. I made your favorite tonight smoked brisket, mashed potatoes, and spicy Mac and cheese,” his mom told him moving to push him. He was going to say something, but he bit his tongue. He didn’t want to cause any conflict even if it’s just asking to push himself. 

She enjoyed having the ability to take care of him again. When him and his brother were sick as children she made sure they didn’t get up for a day after they felt better to make sure they didn’t get sick again. Jesse supposed the overacting behavior was due to their father’s sudden diagnosis and death from cancer when he was very young. 

His father hid the illness so that the family wouldn’t got into debt from the treatment. They still hadn’t cured cancer completely at the time. When he passed it was a sudden shock to the family. Gabriel’s call to her when Jesse was diagnosed and treated didn’t got well with her. He paid for Jesse’s mom’s ticket so that she could be with him. Ana didn’t do anything to stop her from beating him with her purse. Jack tried and got a black eye for it. 

“Do you think I could afford the copays for the PT still?” He asked her. 

“You’re living at home for a bit so I believe so,” she answered. 

“I hope so. I miss not having to worry about that already,” Jesse sighed. 

“Don’t think about that right now. Worry later today is for celebration,” she tried to cheer him up a bit. 

Getting in the car was a bitch for the three of them. First his brother had to back out of the space because he hadn’t gotten the tag yet for the states. Some pissed off people honked at them as they tried to figure out how to get in with minimal effort, and then he sighed with relief when he was in the passenger seat. The SUV was not convenient for him. 

On the ride back home from the airport they talked about things that needed to be done and order for things to be easier. They also caught up on things since the ride back was a couple of hours. Some awkward questions did ensue, but he answered them regardless since they were genuinely curious. 

He just needed to get back home so he could clean and care for things. Like change out of the diaper he was wearing because airplane bathrooms aren’t even that easy for able bodied people. He also probably change the shit bag too. That was not something he enjoyed. The catheter was lot easier for when he had to go #1. He also wanted to take the prosthetic arm off for a bit since it was beginning to ache, but he had to do the other things first. 

The reason why he had a shit bag was because he happened to have gotten impaled by some shards that gave him an infection in the area and it couldn’t be saved. By the time Angela and the team amputated he was almost septic. While cumbersome he’s not sure if he’d like the having to set a specific time of day to go #2. 

When they got to the house Leah and the kids came out. “We need to get you a ramp,” their mom stated. 

“I’ll get you up and down for now little brother,” Andrew told him hopping out of the car to get the chair from the back. 

“Hopefully it doesn’t take too long to get one,” Jesse sighed. “How are you doing Leah?”

“Just dandy Jess,” she walked over. “Still kicking ass?” 

“Not much these days,” he told her. “Glad to have a vacation for once even if it was retirement.”

“That’s the spirit!” She smiled at him as Andrew helped him back in the wheelchair. It was very nerve wracking being pulled up the steps backwards. Once inside the house he pointed at the steps to go upstairs. 

“It’s a lot narrower than I remembered. I kinda need to use one of the larger bathrooms upstairs at the moment,” the stairs were too narrow to pull him up in it. 

Biting his tongue his brother thought about how to get him up there. “I think I have to carry you up. You alright with that?”

“Not like I have much of a choice at the moment. I’m sure we can figure out something later,” Jesse tried not to let his frustration and anxiety show as he was picked up bridal style and carried upstairs. His brother set him down at the top and went and got his wheelchair. The bag he had on his wheelchair was what he really needed. 

Once back on it he rolled himself in the bathroom, narrowly. The chair just barely fit in the doorway. He hit his fingers a few times getting in. After a fumbling while later he was done. With his brother back upstairs he informed him that he was going to take off the prosthetic for a bit, “My arm is killing me at the moment and I need to take it off. I won’t really be able to steer my chair well with one hand. Could you just set me down on the couch?”

“No problem. You’re a lot lighter than I thought you were,” Andrew picked him up after he took the arm off and put it in the bag. 

“I wasn’t a very good patient after I woke up from the coma. I fucking hate oatmeal, rice, and pudding now,” that got his brother to laugh. 

“I hate onion and garlic broth for the same reason. All those years of allergies. It cleared my sinuses, but I never want to drink it again,” Andrew said as he set Jesse down on the couch. 

His nieces and nephew ran over to him instantly. 

“You need to drink some more of that soup,” their mom grabbed Andrew by the ear. “I heard you sniffing in the car. Heated you up a bowl in the kitchen.”

“But I don’t want to!!!” She dragged him off. 

“Uncle Jesse where’s your metal arm?” His youngest niece Mina asked. She was four. 

“Sometimes I need to take it off. I’ll show it to you sometime,” he told her. 

“Are you going to stay this time?” The oldest Kelly asked him. She remembers him coming and going the most. 

“I’m not going back if that’s what you’re asking,” he answered. 

“Yay!” Mina hugged him. “Do you have scars?” He brushed back his hair to show the one that caused his coma. 

“Wow!” The three of them said. 

“Uncle-“ Mina started. 

“Let’s let Uncle Jesse have a drink of water or juice for a moment. I bet he’s thirsty,” Leah said to her children. 

“I’ll get it!” Zakk yelled. The three rushed off. 

“You’re welcome,” she sat down on the couch. “They love to compete. I get them to clean by doing stuff like that as well. Kelly is almost too old to be fooled by it.” 

“I learned before Andrew,” Jesse smiled remembering how he was even able to fool his brother into doing his chores.

“Andrew isn’t the smartest person, besides you skipped a grade a few years before you ran off with that rich girl Elizabeth,” she brought up. “She mustave been real charming.”

“Always did have a way with words. Swear on everything if she told me I could stand up right now I’d believe her,” he admitted. “She was so damn charismatic she probably could’ve convinced the devil to work for her.”

“Pray to God that never happens,” she raised her beer. While Jesse wasn’t quite certain if he believed in God or any god he made sure to be a bit more religious around his mom and Leah. Since Andrew openly said that he was atheist a couple years ago Leah couldn’t get over thinking that her husband wouldn’t be joining her in heaven, but they kept a good relationship since she believed that God made atheists to show christians that even with no reward or punishment that they do good things for only the sake of being good people. 

“Amen to that,” he smiled. 

“I got you water,” “No I did!” “ME TOO!!!” all the children shouted at once.

“My goodness I won’t have to get anymore water for quite a while! Y’all did me a nice favor, thank you,” he thanked the children as they set the glasses down on the coffee table.

His mom sauntered over with a glass and a pitcher, “Brought you a cup of southern comfort son.” She poured a glass of sweet tea. “Bet they starved m’poor baby of this while you were away.”

“Thank you mama,” Jesse smiled at her and she smiled back while walking away. Andrew zipped by running straight for the bathroom at the other end of the floor. 

“Bet you’ll be full from drinking all the liquid by the time dinner happens, and Andrew won’t even be hungry from puking up the smelly allergy medication,” Leah smirked.

“I’ll make room. Not often she makes brisket. I’ve gotta eat at least half a pound tonight. It’s always the best on the first night,” he told her. 

“True that. The leftovers are heavenly, but your mama ruined me for any other brisket,” Leah rubbed her stomach. “Gettin hungry just talking about it.”

“Sure we’ll eat soon,” he believed that they would soon enough. 

“I do wonder what was it like when the building exploded?” she changed the topic. Uncomfortable Jesse rubbed his neck after setting his sweet tea down on the coffee table.

“Hadn’t gotten that one in awhile. To be honest only my therapist asked that the day I woke up from the coma,” he paused. “I was going back in the building for my wallet. I’d forgotten it earlier that day and Gabe and I were going out to a cafe for lunch. In the brief moment between the sound and the impact I truly believed that that was my final moment. When I regained consciousness I heard my phone going off, but I couldn’t move. I was upside down. Should’ve known then that I was paralized. Everything hurt from the waist up. Even things I didn’t know existed hurt. Glad I didn’t lose an eye…” he paused again. “Gabe found me n’I didn’t really know what he said other than he was moving to leave. Didn’t want to die alone so I made him stay. I knew when I woke up that my arm was gone. I could see the tattoo a few feet away from me, but it was all burned up. Sometime later someone came by and the both of them argued. Later I learned that I’d been carded that I was ‘dead’ in terms of triage. Suppose I would’ve been if Moria hadn’t came when Gabriel called her. I could feel it at the time...I was at peace...didn’t think would ever be,...but...I was...then I came back down from it and I don’t remember much of what happened other than Gabe telling me I went on a tangent about being sick in the past. I woke up in medbay wishing I was dead…”

“Damn that was deep,” Leah said in awe. “By the grace of our lord and savior for giving the angel Gabriel the wisdom to find you and call upon Moria who was given the power to save you, you made it out alive. I hope that God punishes the sinners who caused that in the first place.”

“Gabriel tried, but failed,” Jesse spoke blankly. “Only time will tell if they ever truly get the justice they deserve.”

Leah asked a few more invasive questions about the whole incident before stopping because despite her also signing the agreement he didn’t want to say anything about Talon or about Overwatch’s impending doom. Soon enough it was time for dinner. Andrew had to help him to the table, but it was nice to sit at the table and pretend to only be missing an arm at the moment. Things would need reworked around the house.

While Jesse and his mom did talk about it prior to coming home they would need to have a first floor master with a universal plan. He’d for sure need a shower with a seat and to have the bars so he could get in and out of his wheelchair without assistance. A ramp going up to the porch was needed. The driveway needed part of it to be paved, and same with the walkway to the porch. Most of the first floor would also need to be renovated anyways for the bedroom. Luckily it was severely outdated so there wouldn’t be too many hard feelings about it, and because it’s a large farmhouse. With a lot of the money he saved up the past three years would be going to this.

Being so dependent on others felt so degrading to him. His therapist said that the feeling would go away over time and with independence being gained. Up until this point he’d basically had been living in medbay, and medbay had a universal design. The independence to do things for himself had helped him once he stopped resisting so hard on his treatment. He worries a bit that he’s going to backslide in mental progress he’s made since then. 

After dinner he has Andrew help him upstairs so that he can go #1. Andrew did question why he couldn’t use the downstairs bathroom, their mom scolded him and he carried him up. It was hard doing it one handed, but he had been taught to do it with one hand as well. Less embarrassing than you’d think as it helped him gain some autonomy back. After he carried Jesse back down to the couch Andrew drove the now drunken Leah and the kids back to her sister’s house.

“Penny for your thoughts?” his mom asked him.

“It’s nothing,” he dismissed her.

“You can tell me anything son,” she told him.

He sighed, “I’m probably never gonna be able to walk again. I can feel my toes, and when I try to wiggle them they don’t move even though I put in the willpower and I can almost feel like it should move, but it won’t and can’t.”

“I can see why that’s frustrating, but that’s not the main issue that you’re really thinking of. Isn’t it?” She gave the know all look. “You’re not really good at hiding things. Never were.”

“I just don’t enjoy the foreseeable future about having to be carried around because I can’t fit through a doorway, or that a bathroom isn’t big enough for me to use it. I don’t want to be dependent on other people,” reflexively he tried to pull his knees to his chest, but started playing with his hair when he couldn’t.

“If there is anyone that you can lean on it can be your mama Jess. I will always be there while I’m alive to take care of you. Don’t forget that,” she went over and held him. “You’re my baby and I love you to death. You will be able to walk again. I promise you that, and you will be able to fully take care of yourself again, and we’ll try to fix this up soon. Tomorrow before I go in for work how about we go to the park, and I just want you to relax, enjoy the sun on your skin, and let me push you so that all you have to do is enjoy it.”

“Alright,” he caved to the walk...ride… “Love you too mama.”


	3. Quise ser una persona buena, pero soy nadie...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> From Angela's view.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I posted two chapters at once because this chapter is shorter and in Angela's view. 
> 
> Also if you can read Spanish the the chapter titles make a bit more sense. They're a bit poetic. Thank you seven years of Spanish in school (Sarcastic).

Something just wasn’t adding up. On paper yes, but logically, no. Angela spent hours mulling over every single damn document medbay had the past month. There were just too many cases of people coming in that should’ve died prior to being here. 

While she supposed Jesse McCree had been around Gabriel Reyes and Moria O’Diron!!! He should’ve still be dead from what Gabriel said he saw. The piece of metal the hospital missed before being brought here was odd as well. 

However, that wasn’t the only case of oddness. She has at least a dozen others. Overwatch was going down the drain quickly therefore, even though it was not permitted, she printed off everything in their files to go over. There had to be something in it that’s leading to the fall of Overwatch. If she could prove it!

“Angela what the hell are you doing!” A tired Jack Morrison walked in. He looked very sleep deprived, almost as much as she was. 

“Something is suspicious. I’m almost certain I can find some answers from this,” she gestured to the piles. “There were too many incidents of people getting fatally injured and getting some help before coming here.”

“I’ve had some suspicions…” he picked up McCree’s file. “I knew you printed them out a couple days ago, read them as well,” he flipped through to a specific page. “Unlike a majority of the others he has no recollection of being in the hospital prior to being in medbay. Now I can’t verify the hospital number by looking it up then calling them to make sure because of my voice, and I know you won’t when I leave,” he hinted heavily. 

“Other things don’t add up too. Torbjörn…” she paused because she was ahead of herself. “The other day I took the shard of metal that was in him and gave it to Torbjörn to analyze. It didn’t come from the building. He said it was like someone just took a random bit to do it. I had my suspicions because the wound if happened at the time should’ve gone septic earlier, or killed him earlier.”

“What are you saying Angela?” Jack held his chin. 

“I’m not finished yet. When he was in the coma it was different from a typical coma...almost like it was a medical one,” she pursed her lips. “I’m thinking that he wasn’t taken to that hospital,” she poked the document. “I’m thinking that Moria and Gabriel took him somewhere else and to cover it up they did those two things. Of course I definitely won’t call the hospital to make sure he wasn’t there.”

“Similar instance to Xander Kilian and a few others, but-“ he started. 

“Buuuuut,” Angela cut him off. “The ones that were awake immediately or came in awake were cooperating instantly, but not giving many details.” She paused before whispering, “I think Talon is in Overwatch.”

“By that implication Gabe and Moria have to be in it,” Jack said logically. 

“By a manner of logic, yes, but Gabriel abhorred Talon up until after Jesse woke up. That just doesn’t add up unless they wanted Bronte gone, and it was payment for making sure he lived. Moria...I’m sure she has to be a member and suggested it,” Angela pondered. 

“Can see why you were in college when you were twelve,” Jack commented. 

“Heh,” she chuckled. “Been told that I’m too smart quite often, but I never got that one.”

“What do you think we should do from here?” It’s not like he could talk to Ana. She was killed by an enemy sniper. “Can’t talk to Gabe because they probably already have him working for them.”

“I would advise against talking to Reyes about this for sure, however, I don’t know where to go from here. We don’t know who could be one of them or not. When everything is settled I will pay Jesse a visit because he deserves to know. Jack,” she paused. “I think it’s too late…the only thing I could suggest is printing off and hoarding information as well.”

“I was worried you’d say that…” Jack sighed. 

“If you could upgrade my clearance I could stockpile enough information that I could expose Talon to the world. What they truly are,” they front as a humanitarian group. “Maybe then, just maybe, even with Overwatch gone they will be too.” 

“Alright,” Jack nodded after some hesitation. “I’ll take the fall if someone higher up than me finds out. Just try to keep squeaky clean,” he walked out of the room. “Also information may be power, but can also be dangerous Angela. Be careful.”

Left alone in her office she locked the door after he left. Only Jack and Gabriel have access currently. She pulled the curtain down and blocked the door with her chair. She looked up the hospital listed on Jesse’s file. She didn’t use the number on the file. Comparing what she found on the web vs the file, it was different. 

Calling them she found out that he hadn’t been there in years. Jesse was the most accident prone person she knew, but he hadn’t been there since he tripped over his foot and sprained his ankle. With that information she wrote it down and stapled it to that page. Unless she could find Moria and make a truth serum she doesn’t think she’ll get more information on that. Moria had left after the Venice incident and hasn’t resurfaced. 

With her access just upgraded she dove into more research. She even had access to the Blackwatch files. With a wicked smile she knew that she had to be quick about scanning through everything. The part of her that loved learning was very happy about having a challenge for once. 

Several weeks later she had a shitload of files she printed out. She’d gotten it to her parent’s house as she believes that things are going down quicker than she anticipated. Something happened in King’s Row, too bad nobody was able to warn them to get over there sooner. 

Gabriel in a panic knocked on her door and respected not just barging in. Calmly she opened the door to him. “Are you alright?” She asked him concerned. 

“Here,” he handed her a filled folder. “Don’t tell anyone. You’re the only person I trust that’s not being watched. I suggest quitting and going home. Things are going to get bad,” he turned to leave. “I wasn’t here.”

After he left she locked her door and checked the file. It was a list of people working for Talon in Overwatch, among other things as well. Heeding his warning she resigned the next morning. In her mind she thought, ‘What did you agree to Gabe?’ Because his name was on the list as well. She gasped when she saw another framiliar name.


	4. No puedo, porque no miento bien. Si puedo, lo hago.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Although Jesse won't admit it out loud he's a shitty at lying.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well I added another chapter instead of spacing it out.

Speaking to a lawyer he found out he was able to keep his pension despite Overwatch being shut down. He wanted to get a job because while he enjoyed having the time off he was going stir crazy. His brother suggested that he should learn how to drive first with adaptive gear so he could, you know, drive. 

Now that he knew that he’d have his pension he could pay for the instructor and gear. His family decided they should just move instead of doing the renovations because living in a hotel for a few weeks would be expensive and it’s not like they ran the farm like they did when he was a kid. Something a bit more move in ready would be nice. While he was getting used to having his brother help him up and down from the main floor to the second story he’d be glad when he doesn’t have to be carried. 

Not the one to make people worry their mom found and bought the new house herself. She refused to say how much the house cost. Partly he wondered how much his mother saved up over the years because his family lived paycheck to paycheck for quite some time. 

He liked his room. It was easy for him to move around. He didn’t have to have someone help him in and out of the shower which was really nice. There was enough storage in the bathroom for all of his stuff. Nobody needed to help him at all in this house and he loved it. When he learns how to redrive he’ll be independent. 

It only took a few months for him to get his new license and he couldn’t be happier. Andrew was ecstatic because it meant he was free from driving him. Jesse even was able to obtain a job. It started off rocky because he wasn’t able to open some doors because they were too heavy, but, eventually, they installed buttons to open the door. 

It was just a regular office job, but it felt nice to be doing something again. Oddly enough it was similar enough to writing reports. With some friends, a job, and independence he felt normal for the first time since before he woke up in medbay. 

Him and the others go out for drinks on Friday. “Cheers!” They clanked glasses. 

“I feel like I’m wasting my potential working at this place,” Olivia said. She had a lot of cybernetic upgrades and was an IT for their office. 

“Probably are,” another laughed. 

“I would do something a bit more physical, but I come up a bit short now,” Jesse joked. “I’m certified in civil engineering, but I can’t really do that now.”

“I could probably make you a prosthetic suit,” Oliva joked. 

“Iron man except for she’s gonna control your movements,” Quinton pointed out. 

“Am I that condescending?” She threw her arms up defensively. “Don’t answer that.” 

“You put a bug in my computer,” Mark slammed his drink down. “I don’t like getting rick rolled with you as rick in the video constantly.”

“Shouldn’t have eaten my lunch,” Olivia whipped her hair back and bitchily took a sip of her drink. 

“And mine,” Jesse said. 

“And mine,” Quinton said. 

“I’m a growing man,” Mark defended himself. 

The rest of drinks was fun. The cab home not so much, but fun nonetheless. He never drank enough so that he wouldn’t be able to care for himself. Something he learned early on. Secretly among them him and Olivia were dating. His mom liked her a lot. 

She’d come back with him. Totally wasted she fell asleep on the couch. His mom brought over a bucket and some water for her. Olivia would be woken up when it’s time to eat. In the meantime Jesse took care of things he needed to do before dinner. 

“Olivia wake up,” his mom gently woke her up for dinner. 

“¡Ay! It’s too bright!” Olivia complained while being hauled up. 

Dinner went well until his brother showed up at the house higher than the eiffel tower. He had gotten fired again. This is why Leah had primary custody of their children. On a side note they did start dating again, and plan on getting married. Andrew was sent away until after dinner because their mother was pissed at him. 

A knock at the front door grabbed their attention. Andrew answered it. “Who are you miss?”

“My name is Angela Ziegler,” the doctor told him. “Does Jesse live here? I need to tell him something.”

“In the dining room,” he let her inside the house. “Jess, Angel is here!”

She walked her way over to the dining room. “What a lovely house,” she glanced around at the furnishings. 

“Why thank you little miss,” their mama smiled. “What’s your business with my son?” She had gotten very serious. Angela knew that she knew that she was Overwatch...formerly. 

“He was my patient and I wanted to check the mechanics of a couple of things that helped him recover. A couple of the things other doctors won’t be able to fix. Such as the battery that powers the device that allows him to feel below the injury. There are a couple other things, but I’m sure he’d prefer them to be a tad more private,” she explained to his mom.

“Would you like a plate.” It wasn’t a question. Angela had met a few people in her life that if they ‘asked’ that it wasn’t really something that could be given the ‘no’. 

“I couldn’t impose,” she played off. Always decline politely once. 

“Wouldn’t be no trouble. Sit.” She gestured to Andrew’s seat. 

“So she gets to eat and I can’t, and I’m the one that lives here!” Andrew groaned before heading out the back door to smoke some more. 

“We can take a stroll around and talk about it Angela, after dinner of course,” he told her. 

“Of course. The matter can rest at the moment. I wouldn’t want to bother such a gracious host,” she smiled at his mom warmly. It didn’t meet her eyes. 

The game started the moment she walked in the house. Primarily it was only Angela, and Jesse’s mom Natalie talking. Knowing that Angela knew Morris code he tapped a finger on her thigh: Danger. So maybe she scaled back a bit, but thankfully there was only so much either of them could take before the meal was over quickly. 

Outside on their stroll after they went a block he said, “It’s safe now to say whatever.”

“Why didn’t you come out yet?” She asked immediately. “I know that I spent a couple of weeks on designing that-“

“Da da da da!” He cut her off. “It has come in use, very well, better than I was expecting… I’ve tried coming out several times. She kept pushing me to ask out my coworker who was passed out drunk on the table. We haven’t done anything other than her design a few suits that make me feel more like iron man than human.”

“I don’t know if I should tell you everything I know or not,” she paused. “The parts were mostly a front to talk to you in private.”

“I don’t think it could be too bad,” he shrugged. 

“They didn’t bring you to a hospital, they brought you to a Talon medbay. Moria was a mole. They made Gabriel a deal I assume still. They did something to you there, but I don’t know what. What I do know…” she hesitated. “Is that...no...too dangerous…just please don’t get a new prosthetic. Your current one is unhackable and cannot be controlled remotely. Torbjörn was very adamant about that when he made it for you.”

“I knew it wouldn’t be over,” Jesse sighed thinking on how he’ll sit from the sidelines. 

“Unfortunately so. Listen you can’t tell anyone about our conversation. Lie, and I know that you can do it when you need to. In due time I can tell you more, but I thought you deserved to know. You aren’t the only person I’m talking to, but you are the one in the most dangerous position for me,” she rubbed her temple. “I haven’t been getting much sleep.”

“Try talking to the monkey he could help,” Jesse suggested. 

“Winston?” She pondered. “I haven’t even considered.” 

“Talon wouldn’t and couldn’t make him work for them, and it would probably be nice for another highly intelligent mind to look over what you’ve already pieced together,” Jesse explained to her. “On another note I’ve had my suspicions about things too, or I’m just not used to being normal. I swear it’s like I’m in the Truman show sometimes. When I’m at work I feel like everyone is watching me. I’m friends with everyone except for the one person who is so cliche enemy. This job too. I got it because my mom suggested working there and they were the only one to even give me an interview. Not even Walmart gave me one, and they like people like me to greet people going into the store. My brother’s stock of weed never ends, and somehow we were able to afford the house we currently live in.”

“I wish I could tell you more, but it may hurt you in the long run. While I am here I will do the tests to make sure those parts are running properly,” she switched topics as they rounded the block and were in distance to the house. 

True to her word she did check them and determined that they’re still working perfectly. She did scold him about neglecting his mental health because he hadn’t had an appointment since before he left originally. After she was done she bid him goodbye for the time being. Hopefully not for too long, they both thought. 

When he was driving Olivia back to her apartment later she said that she knew that he was gay while drunk. She also mumbled something about this assignment being no fun. Assumingly he had to believe and piece together the puzzle Angela had laid out. The doctor told him some things that led him to believing that he was right about being in ‘The Truman Show’, but how?

Olivia attempted to try and get him to sleep with her while he helped her over to the building’s elevator. He declined, again, for at least the 100th time. Internally frustrated she ‘broke up’ with him again. She’d forget when she woke up with a hangover. 

Before he went home he decided to just drive around for a bit. He just wanted to feel alone for a few minutes. His mom can be overbearing at times, and Andrew asks too many questions when he’s high. Days like this was when he missed riding his motorcycle the most. Not quite the same rush being in a car. 

Ashe had been in contact with him ever since he came home, but that was in secret. In a deposit box in the bank. The note about it was also given in secret. Communicating through it was odd, but reasonable. Her family owned that branch and they wouldn’t rat her out so she could come and go freely. 

He had to decline her invitation to rejoin because he had problems with regular society. Sidewalks could be annoying, but people could and were worse most of the time. Being treated like he was made of glass wasn’t pleasant. However, they did rekindle their friendship. 

In the deposit box was a letter, there usually was, but it was interesting because she gave him some big information today. 

JM,

They keep trying to get me to work with them and not have me do my thing. I’m worried that one day they’ll get their way. Now they don’t know that we still talk, but you know more than one who’s one of them. Without Overwatch keeping Talon in check I fear that will happen. Don’t let your guard down. You know the rule that applies to drinks, follow that with food too now. You’re not a good lier so I’m not telling you who. Just trust me, unless you’re content with working for them. 

EA

Things just were adding up too much and he didn’t know what to think...that is unless he was blind to the truth. Muttering curses under his breath he left the bank after writing a note back to her. Maybe they’d see one another someday, but for now bitching under his breath about others perceived thinking about him not being able to lie well.

Jesse took the long way home and thought about stopping for a pack of smokes. Even if he was good at hiding his clothing would smell like the damn poison. His mom would kill him if he picked up cigarettes and cigars again. It was only when he was stuck in that damn hospital bed that he was able to give them up because Angela and the other doctors wouldn’t let him outside to smoke.

Gabriel had tried for years to get him to give them up before that. He wondered where the man who became like a father to him was. The former leader had essentially disappeared entirely a few weeks after he arrived home. The last time they spoke Gabriel was just about to go talk to Angela...then...nothing. Maybe he should’ve asked Angela while he had the chance to talk about the man, but she looked like she was a concerned rush against time earlier that day. He missed Gabriel, but he was gone too now.

“You took forever to get back,” his mom commented when he wheeled in the house.

“Time me or something?” he asked annoyed. “Don’t answer that,” he quickly said. “I don’t want to feel like I’m being treated like I’m a goddamn teenager again.”

“My baby boy ran off with a witch and broke the law before he ran away for good, and only recently came back home. What do you expect,” she shrugged. “Ya broke my damn heart multiple times.”

“So you have been timing me,” he crossed his arms.

“Yes.” she stated crossing her arms as well.

“You could try trusting me. I’m not going to go run off like I did then. I’m a grown fucking-”

“Watch it!” she scolded him beginning to argue with her.

“No!” he exclaimed. “I’m not letting you win this one. I am an adult. Olivia broke up with me and I am happy as I can be because I DON’T LIKE WOMEN!!! She did it because I refuse to sleep with her, and I will damn well leave this house when I get married or not to the man of my dreams!!!”

“You done?” his mother tapped her foot against the ground.

“Can you please not time me anymore when I want to drive around alone?”

“No.” 

“Why??????” he asked getting very frustrated. 

“Because I didn’t know if my baby was going to die for over a month when you were in that explosion, and when you had leukemia, and when you had TB!” she snapped screaming at him. “I’m not going to let you get into a position where I don’t know if you’re safe or not! A car is a giant metal coffin! I saw you almost die in the hospital after you were in the explosion!”

“You weren’t there,” he whispered and everything finally made sense. “I didn’t leave Europe and you weren’t in the hospital records that I looked at…” 

“It’s a manner of speaking darling,” she played off. “Why don’t you get yourself some rest.”

“I’m not tired,” he stayed there staring back at her. There was no way he could move faster than her, and he could only outfight her as long as she was in range of his left arm.

“I’m surprised that it didn’t take longer for you to find out,” Akande, aka Doomfist walked into the room from the powder room. He was sipping on some sweet tea.

“Why does everyone think I’m dense?” Jesse sighed.

“That’s the southern charm sweetie,” his mom answered. “Just drink this glass sweetie and everything will be alright.”

“I’m not drinking something that’s obviously spiked with a sedative,” he rolled his eyes.

“It would make things easier,” she handed him the drink.

“Yeah, no.” he held it. Jesse would dump it on the floor, but sticky wheels are no joke.

“The blond earlier managed to escape because Sombra was piss drunk earlier,” his mom sighed sitting back down.

“The girl doesn’t handle rejection well even if the arrangement is planned,” Akande waived off. “At least now you can travel for work again,” he turned to Jesse. “Our family floor is good. There’s even a mall you can go to. We recently just got a Starbucks, and there is a support group.”

“Since I know I have no chance of getting out of this family fun move as you literally put an anchor on my chair!!!” he spoke angrily before regaining some composure. “If my mom was working for Talon for years, how did I manage to be in the explosion?”

“You weren’t supposed to go back in. They saw you walk out of the building, but not back in. They didn’t follow you so you ended up being back in the building. Somehow...you lived through the blast. Most people that were hospitalized were away from the building. Almost everyone died in it. Moria brought you and Gabriel to our headquarters and saved you, but with a few prices. You did wake up there, I have a video, but you had to forget because you’d tell. I got my revenge on Antonio with the help of Gabriel who we made join,” she told him recounting every moment.

“That doesn’t mean you can lock me up with the excuse of protecting me. I’ve know for awhile that things aren’t normal. I’ve lived more lives than most, and if I die I die because that’s life. You can’t keep me prisoner because you’re afraid I’ll get hurt again,” he tried to explain.

“Eh,” she shot him with a sleep dart. “I don’t care. I’m not going to see my baby get hurt again.” as he passed out he heard her say, “Don’t worry I’ll find you a cute guy!!!” 

Well, at least there’s that.

Also, Angela knew that he’d fuck up for the most part and planned on it. Time for part two of her plan...after talking to the others. She would go visit Winston after calling the rest since Jesse was a special circumstance.


	5. No me gusta tiempo, lo es muy rapido.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ever get that feeling of déjà vu?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to make more of my tags true so happy holidays, and I don't like Halloween much so HAAAAAAPPPPPPYYYYYY HOOOOLLLLLLIIIIIIDDDDDDDDAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYYSSSSSS!!! (annoyed at sibling who made fun of me for watching holiday cooking competition so I vent my anger somewhere else because of unhealthy coping mechanisms)

“Fuck,” he woke up with a blistering headache. Covering half of his face with his hand he realized that his prosthetic was gone. 

“I told her not to use that shit on people she likes. Nasty stuff,” Moria’s heels tapped against the floor and he handed him a glass of water. 

“When did she start-“

“After you had cancer,” She answered. “Your mother...she had a lot of hate for Overwatch for taking you away. She got her revenge, and I doubt if she has her way you’ll never leave this building.”

“Prisoner,” he said rubbing his eye. 

“Just as much as a lot of us are. Although I do wonder how strong the stuff your brother does is. He still thinks he’s in Texas. His girlfriend and kids keep trying to tell him otherwise,” she waived off leaning against the wall. 

“Probably acid. He loves the shit when he has it. Me and Ashe replaced his strips for mint strips once. He was soooo pissed,” Jesse laughed. 

“Deflecting the topic,” Moria pointed out. 

“Can’t help it,” Jesse gave her a pathetic smile. 

“Well I improved the device in your back and have been experimenting with different stuff with the help of mechanics. I might be able to make you a prosthetic brace that connects to that device to allow you to move again. It’ll be the brace, but you’d be standing and you’d have to learn to rewalk, but it would help keep your mind occupied for a bit,” she told him. 

“Olivia’s iron man suits looked cool,” Jesse smiled and earned a laugh from the stoic scientist. 

“Wish I could because that would be cool. I’ll admit,” she laughed at the thought. “It would require a large battery to be compact, but possible. However, your mom would never approve.”

“Question if this is some bulky thing, how would it be useful?” He asked about the brace. 

“We might be able to make something smaller and easier to use. Just like your arm it could work like that. If not for yourself think of the brace as something for others. Even if it is just for walking and nothing else it would still be a major medical advancement,” she explained. 

“Alright I’ll do it,” he agreed. 

“That’s the spirit,” she smiled. “You never know. You could convince her that you could work with it. Probably not ever be able to run, but safely behind some others like a sniper could work. You have the best aim that I know of.”

The door slammed open revealing a blue Amélie, “What did you say?”

“Your scores never cleared his for non scoped accuracy. If he trains with you then he’ll have a higher score than you and Ana Amari,” the ‘I don’t fear death’ look was on Moria’s face. 

“I will not train him,” she spat. 

“By taking away your emotions your ego has become inflated,” she paused. “Maybe I should give you a little bit of emotion back. Or maybe I just took away everything but anger- Anyways!!! You will train him if he has permission.”

At the threat of more experiments she glared at Jesse and left. “She have good hearing?”

“Oui!” She yelled. Moria shrugged.

“Unfortunately your mom and Akande were insistent on a human strength prosthetic. The strength will be computerized to match your other arm’s natural ability. Metal or natural looking?”

“I’d rather not have a realistic one,” Jesse sighed deeply. “He hates to admit that he loved his prosthetic arm because it was strong enough that if he was being attacked that he could defend himself.”

“Alright,” she walked over to a cabinet and grabbed out the premade arm. The color was a lighter silver than what his other arm was. He wondered where it was. “This one stings less than your old one. It was designed to have a slower adept connection. This will take a full minute to activate, but it’s not a shock. It’s.-“

“Tingles,” he cringed. It was more bearable but odd. Then again he was used to the pain. 

“It weighs about the same as your real arm, but like I said you won’t need to worry about breaking shit all the time. However, unbenounced to them, this one,” she pulled back one of the sheets. “Has a compartment that I placed pepper spray in for you. I can’t sleep at night without a knife, Genji had his shurikens, and Gabriel had his well...several things.”

“Thanks,” Jesse smiled. 

“Don’t use it unless absolutely necessary, but I know the need to have something with you as well,” she sat down again. 

The next couple hours were uneventful until his mom came by. She insisted pushing him around to both show him the place as well as where they lived in it. Most of the time he was bored and zoned out. He wondered how his life ended up this way. 

Maybe Angela was right when, and his psychologist, and Gabriel said, and when Ashe slapped him when they all said that he should be tested for ADHD. Wasn’t his fault he couldn’t keep his attention on things that weren’t invigorating enough. Anytime his mom noticed that he wasn’t paying attention she poked his shoulder. 

When passing through he swore he saw Gabriel. They wore the same shotgun style, height, and stature, but this man wore an owl skull mask. A white owl is an omen of death approaching. He wondered if it was Gabriel. Since he lost contact with the man it felt like a big part of his support system disappeared. 

When he was a child he grew tired of not being paid attention to. His older brother had gotten all the attention when their mother had the time to pay attention to them because Andrew was a drug addict. From a young age he learned that if he wanted someone to pay attention he had to do something bad. 

At school this was doing things that he knew wouldn’t get him suspended. Such as not doing in class assignments, homework, and ‘losing’ pencils. Despite doing those things he was still very smart for his age. When the attention he got from everyone wasn’t enough, and when he got smarter, he began to do worse things like damaging school supplies, teasing students, and mouthing off to the teacher. 

He received his first suspension in middle school when he beat another student up for making fun of him. He’d gotten the attention he wanted because his mom had to take him to work with her that day. Soon enough he got into fights all the time. Saturday detention, in school suspension, and after school detention, and suspension meant nothing to him by the time he was placed in alternative education. He’d burned through all the steps that the school had tried to take to prevent him from being expelled. 

In the alternate classroom he learned nothing other than more creative ways to get in trouble. His classmates who were worse than him gave brilliant ideas on how to get in trouble just when they talked. He was smart enough that he didn’t get into physical fights with his classmates, but he did get yelled at by the teacher to stop saying things to the others that went over most of the other’s heads. 

Some of the other kids there were from a private school. They wore their uniforms, and there was someone else that was just like him there. Elizabeth Ashe. She got in trouble the same ways he did. They became friends quickly and soon he stopped caring about getting attention from the others because they’d given up on him first. When they ran away and founded Deadlock his mom had finally tried to give him the attention he had wanted. 

This didn’t mean that she didn’t try her best. A single parent raising two children alone. Andrew was a full blown drug addict when he was 14. Jesse was six at the time. She got him more to play by himself and without her. She just didn’t realize how much stress her young son was under with his father’s death. At first when he started acting out it was rebellion, then she believed when it got worse it was teenage angst hitting early, then she gave up, until she saw the tattoo on his arm. By then it was too late. 

When Jesse was 16 him and a few others got arrested by Overwatch. Unlike the others he was given a deal considering he outsmarted five agents until he ran headfirst into Gabriel Reyes when rounding a corner. He’d almost gotten away with the five chasing, tracking, and shooting at him. While his lies weren’t smooth to as to why a normal looking teenager was running away from agents. He’d discarded and changed clothing mid run away to blend in better. Gabriel nonchalantly grabbed his wrist and pulled the sleeve up. It was 107 degrees fahrenheit. 

Crafty as he was he couldn’t escape his interaction room. Unlike the others who were arrested they had him in a biolock handcuffs. There was no chain with these things. One of the others questioned why his cloths were different, and he went off on them saying that they didn’t stick to the plan and a litany of curses. They had to separate the kid who was cursing out some people in their thirties who began to look like they did something wrong. 

With the odd leadership, almost escape, and decent other skills he was given a second chance. Even in Blackwatch at the beginning he acted out when he didn’t get feel like people were giving him enough attention. His therapist couldn’t even get him to talk about anything that really was bugging him. He just vented about his day. Unlike everyone else Gabriel just gave him a disappointed look and told him to clean up the mess, or if he got in a fight (lost) he’d tell him he couldn’t train for a few days.

He was beginning to think that hiring the teen was a mistake since he kept acting out. When the teen threw a temper tantrum while wailing because he didn’t want to go see his counselor he realized the only thing the kid wanted was to have someone who showed enough care about him for more than a few minutes at a time. 

The teen was more than shocked when his boss hugged him. Sobbing in his arms until he acted like a cat being pet that suddenly turns aggressive because they remember their a wild animal. With that Gabriel talked to Jesse’s therapist and made a plan that helped the teen, and the Gabriel and Jesse became close enough that they had a father son relationship. 

Jesse frowned thinking about him because he felt like he’d been abandoned when he disappeared. He missed Gabriel.


	6. Cuando era un niño...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jesse's starting to get too far into his own head, and remembers the past. Both good and bad.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Man I'm starting to be a really slow burn. This is still the beginning in my opinion. The story hasn't really even started, or I just might be full of myself. I don't know, at any rate the plot will start moving next chapter. I will see to that. Also don't you just love stress relieving writing for hours for only three thousand words or less?

Same routine everyday. Moria would have him try a new prototype for a few hours. Then he’d go window shopping, possibly buy a treat. After that he’d sit in the courtyard. Then he’d go back for dinner and hang out with Leah and the kids. Sometimes his mom would bring a Mr. Boring for him to date. Mr. Boring usually the most dull person he ever met. 

He hadn’t seen the man with the owl mask again. Jesse had wanted to confront him. To know who he was. 

He felt himself starting to slip back into a similar pattern. When he had his fake job it was better since everyone there made him feel cared for. Now he just feels more like an object that was being kept on display. He found himself snapping at others very easily. 

Moria wasn’t particularly happy with him for the outburst at the lab, but she did get some valuable research. Angry storming around was valuable for the calibrations of the brace. Steps were almost impossible for him to do in it. The scientists were working on one that could accommodate them. 

Jesse stormed around when he was made to wear the brace out of the labs for ‘field testing’ as they said. It wasn’t him walking, he knew that. He could feel the brace and it’s movements more than he could his own legs. They were like jello to him. Kicking over a trashcan didn’t quite have the same feeling that he used to know. It didn’t give him the satisfaction that he wanted so he ran, and because he was about to be scolded. Everyone knew who Natalie’s sons were because she was one of the highest ups. 

While his adrenaline was pumping it didn’t feel right. Getting grabbed wasn’t either. Nothing felt right about any of this. ‘Did I forget what it feels like already,’ he wondered, ‘or am I used to what I know now?’

One of the men that grabbed him slipped the device, more like a sweatband, off his head rendering the prosthetic brace useless. Being dragged off in front of everyone was still just as embarrassing as having seen his brother jump on a table in the middle of the cafeteria and scream at people to get off his pirate ship. 

“You better stop with this whole acting out thing Jess, you’re getting close to being thirty now,” his mom walked over to him and followed with the guards. 

“Never was good at not getting into trouble,” he sighed.

“What’s the matter baby?” she asked him concerned.

“I’m not happy,” he frowned.

“I think that you just need to choose to not be depressed,” she was clearly unhappy even though he was being honest. “Need to remember that you’re safe and that your brother, his wife, and the children are safe. And that’s all there is to it.”

“If that were the case I’d be ecstatic,” 

“Things will get better sweetie,” she smiled at him. “Just promise to try.”

“The only person I wasn’t ever an asshole to until I got to know them was Ashe. You know?” he paused. “Don’t exactly know why, but probably has to do with the fact that she’s the most charismatic person that I’ve ever known. She understood me, and I to her. When I knew that I was gay she took it well despite the fact we were deeply committed to each other, but up until recently when I was doing some insurance shit that I had forgotten that we’d gotten married.” he partially lied. His mom had the guards stop moving. If she was going to invalidate his depression he could make her upset. “We almost did have a child, but since we couldn’t and didn’t have the means to raise she’d gotten an abortion. It would take months for the divorce to go through, maybe a year or so, but I didn’t submit the paperwork because her insurance was really good.”

“I swear to GOD JESSE!!!” she stormed off. 

Once she was far enough away one of the guards leaned in and asked, “Did you just lie, or were you telling the truth?”

“Both.” he stated. It wasn’t quite a lie, but it also wasn’t the truth.

“And the mother of the year award goes to…” another one joked.

“Never was the greatest. Swear to you that she probably gives my brother his shit,” he went along with them. Never did hurt to make friends in higher places.

After he was brought back to the labs and back in his chair for the day he went to the coffee shop and sat in the garden contemplating. He’d been doing way too much of that lately. It wasn’t good for a lot of people to analyze every detail of their life.

A while back he’d received one of the first letters from Ashe and he couldn’t help, but to think back to when they were teens………….

“How was the kiss for you?” Jesse sheepishly rubbed the back of his head and nearly knocked off his hat in the process. “I mean it was great for me!”

“It felt electric,” Elizabeth smiled at him and rubbed at the scruff growing on his jaw, peach fuzz still. “Want to kiss again?”

He leaned in and they kissed innocently again. The electric that she felt, was she the only one that could feel it? Maybe kisses are different for other people. She was totally a good kisser though, but he didn’t feel very much from it emotionally. After the kiss was over he could still feel her lips on his and where her hand held his jaw, but nothing else. 

“I have to go,” he told her. 

“She won’t miss you,” Elizabeth giggled twirling a lock of his hair. “Come with me and the triplets to go on the range for the night? It’s funnier when drunk seeing them shoot. BoB almost even seemed amused.”

“Not like I actually would get in any more trouble anyways. I already can’t watch TV, and technically leave the house so why the hell not,” he smiled and she grinned big with big eyes.

“You’re the best. I’ll have BoB make us something good for while we drink,” she held his hands and swung them. 

It was a fun night to say the least, but he ended up watching more intently at the fails then he did her. He could never tell for certain, but he thinks that he’d hurt her feelings by not being more lovey-dovey. His mom was waiting for him up at the bottom of the steps when he came home. It was the last time she did because she gave up after the screams they exchanged. There was no love, there was no understanding, there was only hatred in the screams that they exchanged.

He could barely speak the next day in class and he was hungover like the others. Insecure of how he’d reacted to the kiss he watched a couple of the other couples kiss and other coupley things in class. If he could try harder he was sure that he could be just like them. When class was over they went on a date together, and he tried his hardest to act like he was supposed to.

Over time it did get easier, and they and the others formed Deadlock. 

The last time he left his mother’s house for good as a teenager they got into a large fight because he didn’t cover up the tattoo for once and wanted her to freak out and cause drama.

“What the hell is that on your arm!!!” she screamed stopping what she was doing. His mom was just trying to determine what bills they pay for the month. Andrew was in rehab at the time, and insurance wouldn’t pay for it all. “That better not be what I think that it is!!!”

“You like it?” he grinned devilishly. “I think it’s kind of neat. Don’t you think?”

“What the hell kind of funny joke do you think this is Jesse James McCree???” She slammed the bills down on the coffee table.

“Only the best,” He sipped at a glass of sweet tea.

“This isn’t a joke Jesse. You can kiss your future goodbye if an employer sees that thing,” she warned him.

“What if I don’t want a normal job? Hmgh? How about I do what I damn well please? Would that make you happy?” Jesse knew that his words were having an impact on her.

“What happened to my sweet baby boy?!?” she yelled at him. “You used to be so nice, now you are a rotten child!”

“Me!!! Sometimes I think that you forget that I exist! Am I some sort of fucking ghost to you? Does it make you happy to know how many times I was at school waiting for you to pick me up because ‘Andrew just needed me awhile longer’?” he air quoted dropping his drink on the floor. “I! I needed you too! And you! You weren’t ever there! I was the only one that was at school on take your child to work day for years, well that was until I was in the other class with all the other society rejects! I feel like there’s a pattern forming!”

“Are you calling me a bad parent because I tried to do what was right for the both of you! I had no other family to help raise you after your father selfishly kept his diagnosis a secret from me! You blame me!?!” she pointed at herself angrily. “Your brother is a fucking mess from it still! You don’t-”

“I don’t what?” he asked. “What? Because I did understand. One day my dad went to the hospital and didn’t come back. Everyone said that he was just gone, and nobody made sure I understood or was okay with what that meant. Nobody was around anymore because Andrew’s a fucking basket case and now I’m the fucking monster?” his voice cracked. “My entire life changed from a happy fucking family to a dad who didn’t exist anymore, a brother who wasn’t even my brother anymore, and a mom who wasn’t there anymore! Yeah I’m calling you a shitty mother! You didn’t even notice that I turned fifteen last week!” he screamed. “That’s alright though at least my girlfriend remembered, and I want you to know that it was a good night for the both of us!”

“You did what now!!!!!???” she blurted out not wanting to admit the fact that she had made mistakes in her parenting.

“I FUCKING HATE YOU!!!” He shrieked at her before stomping out of the house.

As he was walking away to his bicycle she yelled after him, “Don’t go Jesse! I can-” 

He didn’t listen for the rest as he tooned her out, and the rest of the world. All he wanted to do was see his girlfriend and let her console him. Jesse was secure enough in himself that he could let himself break down in front of her. After all they shared everything about themselves to one another that they knew. He knew that she’d made an attempt on her life before, as she knew that he may or may not have been the reason why his brother ODed before. In either case they knew one another deeply, and on a deep level they loved one another.

While they didn’t marry in the time that they’d been dating Elizabeth had gotten pregnant because nothing is ever 100%, they’d made the decision that they couldn’t raise a child. They both didn’t want to end up being their own parents or worse, therefore they made that decision together. It was a decision that still haunts the both of them, but they still agree that that was the best thing that they could do at that time. Hell Jesse only started having freetime about a year ago because he almost died.

The whole heterosexuality issue that Jesse had didn’t go away. He kept thinking that he would develop the feelings that he was supposed to have in the relationship he had with Elizabeth, but they didn’t come. With the doubt in himself he really began to come down harshly on himself and drank more. She clearly wasn’t happy in the relationship either, but they continued because neither of them could muster up the courage to break it off. While they did love each other, well Elizabeth also had romantic love for him. Jesse had no romantic love for her, but he still loved her like a sister. 

One night when drinking with some of the others one of the others kissed him on a dare and he felt what he was told that others felt in a kiss. Jesse did admit to one time or another he did have what was a crush on the guy, but never admitted to it until after he accepted himself more. After the game of truth or dare was over they went into the ally and made out. It was the best he’d felt in a long time. He loved every second of it.

When he confronted Elizabeth about it later when the sun was about to rise he told her, “I don’t know what it is, but I don’t think I love you the way you love me. I think that I might just like men more than women…”

She’d cried, but he was already crying, “For awhile now, talking to others I started to think that you did, but...I thought that there was a part that could love me the way that I love you.”

“I’m so sorry,” he cried. “I’m so sorry I didn’t know and I hurt your feelings too.”

“You’re still my best friend Jesse, that’s not gonna change any time soon,” she tried to give a reassuring smile to him.

It was alright with them a few days after they’d broken up. They were indeed best friends up until letters from Jesse had gotten lost in the mail. She’d harbored resentment towards him for years for never mailing to her, until they reconnected. They’d changed though, and moved on enough from their years as teenagers against the world.

Another thing that Jesse was stuck on in the past was about another relationship, but Gabriel was like a father to him. 

When he was twenty Gabriel wanted to adopt Jesse. That had gone as well as you could imagine with Jesse’s mother. She’d screamed about how he was trying to take away her son even more from her. That didn’t stop Gabriel from being a father to him. If Jesse was being honest his boss was more of a father to him than she was a mother to him. She knew that he thought that and was angry about that too.

He was just sad now, he feels trapped in his chair because he couldn’t be a very convincing guard in it. Gabriel was gone. He wouldn’t be able to help him here. The former gunslinger remembered the day he accidentally called Gabriel ‘dad’ in complete seriousness. 

On the range they were practicing for their upcoming mission with the rest of the crew when he was nineteen. “Hey dad, can you pass me another clip? I think that there is something wrong with this one,” he’d said out loud. “What? Did I say something wrong?”

“I didn’t know nepotism was working in this place,” one of the others joked. 

“Enough, he can call me dad if he wants to,” he ruffled Jesse’s hair causing the cowboy hat to fall off the beet red cowboy’s head.

The memory played while he was lying on his bed crying himself to sleep. Where were you Gabriel?


	7. No lo creo, pero lo siento para todo.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hell on Earth
> 
> Maybe he and Widow went too far with how they berate others.

Jesse McCree knew his situation was fucked up enough when he was practically best friends with Moria. He wasn’t friends with her when they were coworkers, and had deeply disliked her being hired. She wasn’t the type of person that they typically hired. Her personality was cold, mean, and ‘ends justify the means’ personality unsettled him greatly. However, in light of change in circumstances he found himself talking to her more because she was a friendly face that didn’t have a lot of baggage to his past. He discovered that she was a genuinely curious person. She wanted to know everything that there was to know.

He really did feel the whole thing was odd considering that he nearly almost hated working with her. While she might have never been committed to the organization while they were working together he couldn’t hold it against her fully because she had been just following orders. Though he was still mad that he found out that she’d put him into a coma and caused another injury to cover both her and Gabriel’s asses.

When it came to the topic about their former boss she usually went tight lipped and didn’t talk about him. Maybe she knew more than she was letting on, and his mother didn’t want her saying anything. Or maybe something happened to him or between them and it’s now a sore subject. At any rate Jesse was becoming too depressed to really care about that. 

Another person who he made friends with was the blue sniper Widowmaker. She was Geralt’s wife Amelie, but Talon had gotten to her. They bonded over their love of shooting on the range. She helped him improve his aim with a scope, while he helped her with close range aim. Although he hated using the prosthetic brace he may be allowed on some missions. He hated himself for possibly working with them, but anything was better than being trapped on the mall floor. 

“Olivia is still pissed with you,” Widow told him, almost intrigued to know how to get back at the hacker. “What did you do to her?”

“I didn’t do anything,” he said aiming down the scope. “She doesn’t like that I didn’t want to sleep with her because I like dick.”

“She can’t get back at you either because you’re one of the big bosses kids,” she laughed quietly. “Otherwise you probably would have so much malware on your arm that she would have you punch yourself.”

“Is she always that mad?” he asked firing. He wished he would have continued training more with Ana; he might be one of the best, but she was the best.

“At some people yes, but others no. She thought that you’d be a fun assignment and was genuinely interested in you. Your mother would have allowed it too, but I think she got frustrated because you were not interested and she could not date outside of the relationship because of work.”

“I came out to my mom quite a few times over the years,” he reloaded the weapon for the seventh time. “It’s kinda her fault that Olivia got burned.”

Widow laughed slightly, “Any good ones? I don’t think that I’ve seen that women flinch, and I was designed to be emotionless...well...almost emotionless.”

“I brought my date home for Christmas, Genji Shimada, at the time we dated for a few weeks because he liked being single more, but she hated him with a passion. She called him the devient when I was the one sitting in his lap basically almost having sex on the couch in the living room. I shit you not that she came over with a pitcher of ice tea and dumped it on our heads while saying ‘Opps’. He was soooo pissed. My brother thought it was the best thing ever,” he chuckled at the memory. 

“Sounds like an interesting family,” she commented. 

“If you like chaos,” he corrected her. 

She went to open her mouth, but paused in deep thought, “I said interesting, not that I want a part of it. From what you told me about her I wonder what made her snap. Nobody is colder than me without reason. You and the rest of your family are the only ones that make her weak.”

“It’s what I did…, probably…” he trailed off. 

“What did you do to create a heartless woman that is not chemical?” she asked.

“Running away while my brother was in rehab, and then Overwatch, and then being permanently injured,” he gestured to his body.

“She was stone cold before you were hurt, but she went brutal after that,” Widow sighed. “I am not even capable of the things she does. I do not have enough care for sophisticated revenge, elegance yes, but brutal no. She is unstable...I do know that you are her most destabilizing element. When you act out, she reacts horribly. When something happens to you, she gets mean.”

“What are you saying?” he asked her, setting the rifle down.

“Catalist,” she said pointedly. “You do something, anything, and she reacts.”

“Why tell me this?” he asked again.

“Think about what you do before you do something. You are too impulsive, that’s why you keep almost just not hitting dead center,” she fired landing within the center dot. “Being impulsive is different from being impatient. You act without thinking about the consequences of your actions. You need to take a moment, breath, and then act.” right through the same hole. “That way, that way, you can do what you intended to do.”

“I think that I actually understood that for once,” he whispered while scratching his goatee. 

“I have read your files ‘man with no name’,” she referenced smiling and getting him to smile. “You never thought about your actions after a certain point when you were a child. Right before you were in that other class. It said that you had a blatant disregard of boundaries when picking on other students. I know that you did the stuff before for attention, but that was when you stopped thinking. You have had months now so learn to think again.”

“Kinda remind me of someone,” he told her. She looked out of the corner of her eye at a shadow in the room. 

“Maybe it’s not just my words. Maybe it’s of someone that you used to know. Or maybe I am speaking of shit,” she shrugged. “By the way that looks uncomfortable.”

“It’s not, and I can’t walk up stairs,” he sighed looking down at the brace.

The shadow in the room went away and they resumed their training. Jesse wondered who was there. Maybe it was his mind playing tricks on him, he hadn’t been sleeping well the past few weeks. He’d need more sleep before the mission that they were going to send him on tomorrow. His phone just pinged that he’d be sent as a backup to Widow because one of the others had gotten sloppy.

He wondered if his mom approved of him being sent on it. Even if she only had so much influence over Talon. They knew that he had aim, and even if he had limited mobility they could find a use for him. She probably wasn’t happy still. 

Having seen her own phone ping she brought out the inferred goggles to try. He did well in figuring out how to use them and shoot in absolute darkness. It wasn’t something he had ever preferred doing, but he did it well enough to in the blue woman’s eyes. Something in her reminded him of Ashe, but maybe it was the determination in their eyes.

Like he’d thought his mom was not happy with him being sent on the mission, she’d kicked up a fuss when she’d gotten back from work. Andrew still didn’t quite realize what was happening, but he was starting rehab again in a few days. Talon had support groups for almost anything. Jesse was adamant on not joining anything, but he could probably stand to get something for managing his emotions. 

He did find it a bit odd that they did have all these things but do wrong. Lately he was questioning everything that he knew, and if Talon was the good guys all along...no...yes...maybe...he didn’t know. Even as the author....if you dig enough into the history of Overwatch’s lore enough you could find some evidence that Talon is the good guys, but that’s mostly the devil's advocate. As an example Doomfist was helping the omnic revolution in the end of the Havana mission and the omnics are treated as second class citizens...well not even if you look at the graffiti on the King’s Row map. The mission also never happened in this AU timeline because nobody warned what was happening in King’s Row, and Overwatch got shut down a lot sooner because of that. In my story it’s currently about a year after Rialto.

Back onto the story…

Listening to his mother complain about him being sent on the mission almost made him wish that he was deaf. Widow was probably right in what she told him about how he makes his mother feel. Perhaps he was the one that caused her all of the pain to become a monster to anyone but her own kin, or another part thought that maybe she had it inside her all along. Not that he would ask her about it because he didn’t want to stir the shit that was brewing in the shitstew he was in any more than her.

Widow was right on him being too damn impulsive, maybe if he thought about his actions years ago he wouldn't be in the same shit that he was in today. Perhaps he would’ve never been with Ashe in Deadlock, and Jesse McCree could’ve led a happier simpler life. He could still maybe walk without the brace if he didn’t run out the door without grabbing his wallet because he had to get to what he wanted to do at that moment without thinking that he’d have to go back to his room because he forgot his motherfucking damn wallet. 

“Jesse, why are you crying?” his mom wiped the tears off of the corner of his eyes. 

“I forgot to take my allergy medication this morning. Probably just the dust irritating them,” he waived his feelings and thoughts away. 

“Don’t forget to take it,” she chided him a tiny bit. She pet his head slightly before throwing the napkin away. “I don’t want you to sneeze and them to find you while you're supposed to be stationary.”

“I’ll make sure,” he told her. In truth he could really use one of Ashe’s pep talks. She was always good at making people feel calm and like they could conquer the world even when she was crying. Jesse knew that he was fucking depressed when he thought about listening to music from the early 2000s and before. Johnny Cash just had a way with words, and only Ashe would know how many times he was piss drunk while drinking whiskey and singing Whiskey River by Willy Nelson. 

His memory was off, he couldn’t remember much shit from one day to the next. Another part couldn’t help but to be paranoid because he was pretty sure somebody was out to get him. He drove himself crazy thinking about all the ‘what ifs’ about the past that he could’ve made up and to this point. Getting a hold of alcohol was hard for him because his mom made sure nobody could give it to him. They apparently had a list for the vendors of items that cannot be given to certain people. Moria wasn’t allowed in the pet store at all unless she was buying things for her fish tanks. The woman loved her pet fish and dogs. 

Had he thought about ending it all...yes, but he knew that there was something close to the capabilities of Athena there, constantly monitoring everyone’s vital signs. It did creep him out like it always had, but at least he was off base most of the time and not being monitored constantly. It felt like all eyes were on him. Some days he could curl in on himself and disappear. He missed Ana a lot on days like that. The older woman would have some hot tea and something tasty for him to nibble on while being a calming ear to listen to his problems.

He could talk to Gabriel with just about anything. He missed him the most. Gabriel was the father he never had in his life...the parent in his mind. The man had gotten through his shielded demeanor and gave him all of the supportive love that he needed as a teenager. When Gabriel had gotten married and was about to have a kid with his wife he had to reassure Jesse like he was a small child worried that they won’t get enough love and attention anymore. Gabriel was and by law his-

“Can you stop staring at the guns and grab one?” Widow asked annoyed. “They are all the same, and we need to get to the ship. I think that you could use one of my treatments too much emotion makes you think about emotion too much.”

“She would never allow that,” he referred to his mom while grabbing the closest one.

She grumbled something in French and he could only assume that meant what she said above, but in a more nasty way directed at Natalie. By implication of how he said in reference to what Widow said he wouldn’t mind having one of them if it got himself to not be so lost in his own mind. Amelie...well Widow seemed to have everything figured out, or maybe that’s what she wants everyone to believe.

The ride to their location was boring. Even more boring than the one time they did a combo mission and nobody was allowed to talk because ‘it could leak information’ that each other could not have. Widow was perfectly content until some asshole started playing music. The woman glared at him, and glared at him.

When it looked like she was about to get up and hit him he asked her, “What’s wrong?”

“You’re making too much noise,” she started glaring down her nose.

“It’s not noise. It’s music!” he said looking hurt.

“Very well. You’re making too much music,” she anounciated to mock him. The man looked even more hurt and turned off the music. In her defence the guy had some very poor taste in music. 

For the rest of the trip over it was quiet with a few hushed conversations. One of the others leaned over to ask him if his mom knew that he was going on the mission. They were also being a kiss-ass as if he was going to go straight to his mommy and sing all sorts of praise. He of course, was not going to do that. If anything, he supposed, he’d bitch about a kiss-ass that was an annoyance. Eventually just hearing the voice disturbed Widow and she insulted them as well, but Jesse also wanted in on it this time.

“Do you seriously have anything better to do than pretend to be a yes man?” he asked condescendingly. “Because the way I see it you’d do anything I fucking said to do. So why don’t you do me a favor and shut the fuck up.”

“Like another fucking spider,” someone in the plane muttered under their breath. Widow glared around the cabin trying to see if someone would crack.

“Spiders are beautiful creatures so I’ll take that as a compliment,” she leaned back still trying to see if someone would crack.

“Relax spider,” Olivia appeared out of thin air tapping on a screen. “You don’t mind if I call you that right? OwO Where’s the fun of tormenting other people if there are no other people?”

“It would be a shame if something were to happen to you on our next mission,” Widow told her. “A real pity.”

“I’d love to stay in chat, but I’m not going to,” she glared at Jesse before disappearing again. Jesse pulled a bobby pin from his hair that helped keep a piece of the device that helped him stand in place at where she just was. She lit up like a purple christmas tree for a few seconds.

“I thought you said you didn’t want to stay. I’d rather my exs not stalk me. I already have one crazy ex girlfriend. Why’d I think that you’d be reasonable,” he bullied her.

“I hate you Jesse,” Olivia growled at him. “Just be happy your mommy is a shield pendejo. Are you going to tell her that Gabe adopted you or am I?”

“Gabriel is dead.” Jesse stated blankly. “She wouldn’t care about a dead man.”

Olivia snickered, “Gabriel isn’t dead, but he just doesn’t want to see a loser who isn’t his biological son. What would make you think that he wants to see you. There’s a reason why he hasn’t talked to you since you had to retire. It’s because he didn’t love you at all. Keeping you happy with some parenting made you good at your job so you wouldn’t miss your shots.”

“Well then. For your sake I hope that I don’t missss my shots then,” he hissed. “Who knows where the bullets could end up?”

“You’re just mad because it’s the truth. Gabriel hated you, and you know what he was planning on getting rid of you at one point because you were too much of a,” she pulled up a screen with an Overwatch document and flashed it to him. “Oh here it is, a lost cause who is too much of a liability. I mean jeez that’s harsh to talk about a teen, but you still are a lost cause.”

“It’s not a good thing to say those things about yourself Sombra,” Widow used her best concerned voice that she could manage. “I know looking into a mirror is hard, but you shouldn’t say such harsh things to yourself.” 

The hacker glared at the spider. The spider smiled and chuckled. The spider knew that she had won. The hacker hid away once more.

Inside Jesse felt like shit. What if what Olivia had told him was true? Was that document real? If it all was then Gabriel had purposely abandoned him. Was it because of the accident? Widow had definitely saved him there, but she hated Olivia greatly.

His phone pinged. She had sent him documents that Gabriel had sent to Jack. He couldn’t help, but to read them all. It hurt. It hurt a lot. He felt like screaming and breaking things. He knew that he had to remain calm because of the mission. His mom could take the fall if Olivia got hurt because ‘his hands slipped’. 

When he was dropped off at his site something deep inside broke and he turned off his comm just before wailing. He knew that he was over the line when he was talking to her, but that destroyed him when she kept harping on his and Gabriel’s relationship. Luckily he was one of the first stops so he was able to pull himself back together for the mission by the time it started.

Something something omic and overwatch, whatever, if he’s told the target he takes the shot. Easy-peasy. 

Except nothing is ever so easy. Sombra went offline early into the mission because she just ‘wasn’t feeling the vibes’. The ground soldiers were killed, and unlike Widow he had to stick around and wait on the roof that he was on. He couldn’t go up stairs or use laters so for now he had to sit down and hide as much as he could. They knew where he was. There wasn’t any way that they couldn’t have noticed where the shots came from.

However, he wasn’t expecting Olivia to be the one kicking the rooftop door open. She was pissed, and ready to kill him. He rolled out of the way of some of her shots before using the rifle’s auto mode to fire back at her. One bullet grazed her arm and she grunted in pain. Someone yelled from the stairs and she turned and then looked back at him. She decided that the confrontation wasn’t worth getting what she wanted for now and teleported somewhere.

“I suppose you never will stay out of trouble,” Ana sighed behind him shocking Jesse.

“How!?” he asked breathless.

“Something something not at this time, and we have to go Ana. Weird seeing you without the hat kid,” Jack gasped for air having climbed all those flights of stairs. 

“I’ll tell you some other time Jesse. We can’t help you right now because you’re still safer where you are, but you need to learn how to aim up close with that thing. You’re lucky I grazed her, but I don’t think she’ll rejoin because I don’t think she wants to face your mother,” Ana sighed reloading. 

“Why not? I’m not happy where I am,” he pouted. 

“It’s safer for now. Besides me and Jack are on a solo mission,” she told him. Their hair was beginning to gray. Ana had an eyepatch, but that was from Widow. Jack looked mostly the same but with a bit more wrinkling. “I don’t like your choice in friends personally, but at least Amelie is nice to you.”

“How did-?” Jesse began to ask her before they ran off. “Damn-it!” He realized that there was a bullet in his prosthetic hand as the adrenaline was beginning to taper off. “I just got my tattoo again.” 

He had to give up, maybe Olivia set them up or something. She hated Jesse and Widow for more glaringly obvious reasons. It wasn’t necessarily the fact that they were ex’s as much for the reason why she hated Jesse, but rather she hated his mom because she made Olivia try and date him for months without letting her leave. Also because she wasn’t very much use to her so she decided burning a few bridges was worth it. Especially if making Jesse unhappy would get at her.

For the first time Jesse could say he saw Widow appear a bit nervous as she climbed up to the rooftop with him. “We need to leave!” she helped him up and ran over to the ladder. Almost forgetting for a moment she motioned for him to hold on. As they glided down the building, almost falling she panically told him, “Sombra betrayed us and framed us. Not even your mom could help us. We need to take off that prosthetic arm because I know that there is a tracker in it. You also need to help me cut a tracker out of my arm as well. After that we play hide and seek, but we’re the mice.”

“So she’s still in their good graces, but not us,” Jesse lamented already resigned to death. He wanted it. Everything was too much and he just wanted everything to go away.

“You better not be thinking I’ll leave you here!” she growled angrily before quickly saying, “I need someone to make sure that I don’t do my stitches wrong.”

“I care about you too,” he gave a weak smile as he got out his knife to remove her tracker.


	8. Vaya y nunca vuelva

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A memory and a masked man appears.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I got stuck on a writer's block and decided to deux ex machina this a bit. It helps move the plot along, and I'm finally gonna decided which Shimada brother to pair Jesse with :)

The two of them were eventually able to find a decent place to hide. He had to send Amelie to get him some supplies that he needed to take care of himself. While he didn’t enjoy making her go to get the things he swallowed his pride because there wasn’t any way he was leaving this safehouse. The prosthetic brace got damaged and had to be removed. 

For now he laid back on the dirty couch and tried to get comfortable. This was going to be a long next few days. Amelie told him to not call her Widow anymore because she didn’t want to work with them anymore even if things got sorted out. Taking a deep breath he tried to calm himself from getting anxious. She said that they needed to wait a few days before they moved because they will search for them. 

Glumly he faced the back of the couch and tried to nap. Jesse couldn’t because he couldn’t stop thinking about what Sombra had told and had shown him. Gabriel couldn’t have been as callous as she said that he was, right? He could use a few drinks or more.

Maybe Gabriel did think of sending him away when he was still new. That was normal right? Or was it because of a deeper reason like Sombra had said and shown. This information hurt him still hurt him deeply even if it’s fake. If it was true...he didn’t know what to think. It just hurt too damn much to think.

When he was still newish…

“Would you care to tell me what you did,” Gabriel paused. “Or would you like me to tell you what you did?”

“I didn’t do shit,” Jesse immediately shrugged off quietly, he was lying. The teen didn’t really fit his goatee yet, and the same went for his clothing. 

“Sit.” Gabriel commanded gesturing to the chair in front of his desk. The tired man was already seated. The teen complied, and Gabriel swiped the damn hat off of his head and set it on the desk. Jesse opened his mouth to protest the action, but Gabriel answered first, “I want to see your full face. You don’t get to hide behind a hat when we do this. I need to see that you understand what I’m saying to you. Would you like to say what you did now?”

“I didn’t do anything,” Jesse whined biting his lip and glancing away while speaking.

“Could you explain why I have a video of you dumping pudding down Wordsworth’s hoodie?” Gabriel asked him. “I can show it to you if you’d like.”

“That’s obviously not something that I did. You must’ve mistaken me for Calveroski,” he pointed his finger. “I feel like I’m being attacked here because you assumed it was me. It hurts my feelings you know,” he teared up. “We were both wearing this shirt and pants cuz we came from the gym. He looks similar enough to me. I don’t understand why people keep blaming me for things that I didn’t do. Why don’t you see that? I’m the one that’s the victim here!”

“You tell that one before?” Gabriel asked unfazed. 

“What do you mean?” Jesse cried. “Why do you think that I’m lying? I wouldn’t do anything to Wordsworth! We’re friends!”

“Were until he made fun of you for still being in highschool, and shot you with a rubber bullet calling while telling you that you have old man lungs because you were practicing running. I’ve already reprimanded him before I called you in here,” Gabriel shrugged, Jesse’s face went to absolute hatred. 

“Why didn’t you say that in the first place?” the teen growled.

“Because. I. Wanted. To. See. How. You. Would. Lie.” Gabriel chided. “That was a very convincing lie I’ll admit, but your body language gave you away. Also only a child would do what you did in the cafeteria.”

“What do you mean?” Jesse cried. “I’m not lying. I didn’t do it, and now you’re accusing me of being a master liar. I’m a fucking too! NOT A CHILD!!! And-”

“Calm the fuck down!” Gabriel yelled. “I don’t know if you’re lying to cover your tracks, or if you’re lying and don’t know that you’re lying. I want to know why you lied!”

It took a few moments for Jesse to collect himself without completely lying or deflecting the conversation. He bit his lip and didn’t meet his boss’ gaze while saying, “I don’t know how not to...especially if it’s not someone else my age…”

“Do you know why you do that?” Gabriel asked calmly this time. The teen shook his head ‘no’. “For now I’m taking you off of training and you’re going to inpatient treatment because you lie even when it’s something positive. Like when you won chess the other day, people were complimenting you because you won in less than five moves, and you said it was just luck. When you play and Athena has taken record of this, you win about 93% of matches. About 30% of those are within seven of your moves. You lied the other day when I saw and asked you what had happened with Wordsworth in the gym. I swear that I’ve only seen you not lie three times when asked an open ended response, and I don’t know fully whether I believed you just now.”

“People don’t usually give me the time of their day...it’s weird...I’m used to being in trouble, and nobody saying a damn thing because I was considered a lost cause by both my school, and by my mom,” he sniffled and wiped at his face. “She only noticed again on the day I left home. I think I know enough now and I’ve changed. I don’t need to go.”

“I know that you’re trying, but inpatient therapy helps a lot more,” he quickly sucked in his breath to keep from being fazed when the teen lashed out at him verbally and stormed around the office. He knew that the kid wouldn’t want to go. Jack and Ana had to help calm him down enough to let one of the people in medbay get him to take sedatives to calm down. Jesse’s temper would not be very good for whoever drove him to the psychiatric hospital. 

Almost immediately after the car was out of site Gabriel turned to his friends and asked, “Did I do the right thing?”

“As a boss or as a friend?” Jack asked, but didn’t wait for the response. “As a boss, no. That kid is too mentally unstable, and I wouldn’t let him stand in trial, but they would because I’m not the court. As a friend...yes. He’s still a kid, he deserves another chance.”

“So he passed your little test just enough then Gabriel?” Ana crossed her arms with a slight smirk. 

“How the hell did you know what I was up to?” Gabriel asked her.

“I should’ve been the one leading your team, remember?” she chuckled. “I read you two’s email conversation. You two should really get better passwords and software protection. I knew that you were on the fence, and I guess he showed enough of being able to be helped for you to now have instead of what happened he’d be off to prison.”

“Somehow that always slips my mind,” Gabriel shook his head.

“Try not to think about it, she does my job most of the time,” Jack told him.

While reminiscing on the early half of that day he didn’t notice that someone broke into the safehouse until he was pulled off the couch and away from his gun. Today was not Jesse’s day. Flipped over on his back he was sat on. Who could’ve guessed...Talon.

“I’d appreciate it if I wasn’t being crushed. At least give me a knife so that it’s an unfair-ish fight and not an unfair one,” Jesse grumbled trying to get his arms out from being pinned.

“I forgot Jermy, he's the one with the suit thing. We can take our time with him, or give him back, but I don’t feel like being charitable to Mrs. McCree right now,” the one on him told his buddies. 

“We could you know-” Jermy? Suggested?

“That’s just evil,” the one on him retorted.

“Come on it’s been awhile and he’s cute. Might as well give him one last ride,” Jermy got down and carded his hand in Jesse’s hair. He made a noise of discontent and tried shrinking away. “Besides if the others find and bring him back it’ll hurt that bitch more.”

“Yeah, no. I will not let you do that. I want to get my revenge on her, but I’m not doing that, or letting you do that. It’s wrong.”

“Wronger than what we do normally?” the guy was making him more uncomfortable and scared as he continued to card through his hair.

“Shut up Jermy!” Someone out of sight yelled. “We’re bad people, but not monsters.”

“We’re just gonna kill him anyways, so what if it’s for a few more minutes and something that I’ll enjoy,” Jermy patted down his cheek earning a muffled cry. Even if his right arm wasn’t pinned what would he do? The only thing he could do was grab and claw with one hand.

“Go away before I end you,” The one on him threatened.

“Relax it’s not like I’d be doing any real harm to our team,” he brushed his thumb over Jesse’s lower lip. “Don’t be such a-”

Blood splattered on his face, and he slowly opened his eyes. 

“I’ve been wanting to do that for so long,” the one on him beamed brightly.

“Gawwwwdamnit!!!! I wanted to do that you motherfuckingsonofabitch!!!” the other one stopped into the room.

“You snooze you lose,” he stuck his tongue out at his companion who glared at him. If glares could kill he’d would have been struck dead.

At that moment a dark cloaked figure approached the building from the outside gazing into the building through a white owl mask. The two spared a glance at the window and in their terror got their defences out quickly. Rapting a metal claw against the glass the scream of glass sent fear down their spines. Quickly dissipating to smoke only Jesse breathed a sigh of relief as the other two held their terror, and for good reason too, as the smoke coalesced into the room.

Jesse’s two assailants were slain as he watched in horror believing that he would be the next to befell the monster. He squeezed his eyes shut and waited in terrifying anticipation for his own death to the monster. However, his demise did not come as he opened back up and saw the monster kneel down next to him with curiosity. The room adorned the gore of the others who had been just slain.The monster pulled the hood down and took off the mask. 

Horror shown itself across Jesse’s face as he recognized Gabriel, the monster who’d just saved his life. The man who had suddenly disappeared to him was now there, curious as to see if he was hurt, like nothing had ever changed.

“Are you okay Jess?” Gabriel asked as if it was just another Tuesday when they still worked together. He had gestured to the blood that was covering his body.

“It’s not mine,” he waved off with his right arm and forgot that he couldn’t get up to leave. If Jesse wanted to leave without him after everything that has happened then he’d have to wait for Amelie to return to their ‘safe house’. “I’m fine.”

A frown adorned Gabriel’s face, “I know that’s a damn lie. You’ve been purposely getting into fights with just about everyone except for Amelie,” the man sighed rubbing his paled face, “We can talk about this sometime later when we’re somewhere safe. I know where Amelie is, but she’s...blinded at the moment.”

“Blinded?” he asked suspiciously tensing up when Gabriel picked him up off the ground. He wrapped his arm around his shoulder so that he didn’t feel as weakened by how his day went.

“Laser pointers. That shit can blind you permanently,” Gabriel sighed. “If we ride those motorcycles that I found you and Amelie are not going to be having much fun with her driving and you navigating.” 

“Don’t make me think about that because I’ll be the one that can see the damn wall we’ll slam into,” Jesse shuddered in anticipated dread. He couldn’t fathom that scenario, and it wouldn’t be so pleasant how he kept thinking of different ways that they’d crash a motorcycle. 

“I’m working on something else, but we need to get to the new-ish Overwatch quickly,” Gabriel went ridged for a moment. “If I don’t get there in time I’ll die.”

“Something to do with Moria?” he asked in curiosity. His feelings were mixed about Gabriel showing up as a Deux Ex Machina after being absent from his life for almost an entire year. 

“I had hired her years ago because I was dying. I still am, but,” he paused for a moment before resuming. “I have a shot I take daily. I would’ve prepared more, but Sombra must of figured out our plans and decided to enact them tonight much to our dismay. Therefore, I wasn’t able to get anything. I know that Angela has some....but we just need to get there. Moria and the others won’t let me keep a supply on hand unless it’s an extended mission. Maybe someone has something on hand, but not those three buffoons back there. The most hated group in the entire low-level division. Moria even asked if she could use them.”

Still weary about Gabriel’s intentions he settled on asking him more later in attempts to also work on his impulsive nature. He settled into Gabriel’s arms and found himself falling asleep.


End file.
